Plextor announces M3 Pro SSD with 24nm flash and 7mm form factor

Bored by Plextor's safe and steady M3S? Then ponder on its new performance model, the 2.5-inch, SATAIII-sporting M3 Pro. It notches up random read/write speeds by around seven percent to 75,000/69,000 IOPs, while sequential read/writes have also had a marginal bump to 540MB/s and 450MB/s. It's not yet clear how much the new drives will cost when they reach stores in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB varieties next month, but the use of 24nm toggle flash -- which squeezes more storage onto less silicon -- should help to keep pricing relatively sane. Oh, and the 7mm height also means that the M3 Pro will slide happily into the compressed bowels of your Ultrabook -- unless that slot has already been reserved for a Crucial. Read on for the press release.

Fremont, CA, January 10, 2012- Plextor (www.goplextor.com), leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, announces the release of its latest Solid State Drive, M3 Pro, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas today.

The new M3 Pro Series offers improvements to the current M3S, including a significant boost in sequential and random read/write speeds. Other changes include high-grade 24nm Toggle Flash, firmware updates, and a new 7mm height form factor to fit ultra-slim notebooks.

The M3 Pro is a 2.5" form factor drive with a height of only 7mm, making it compatible with standard notebooks and PCs, as well as ultra-slim notebooks. The following storage capacities will be available in early 2012: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The M3 Pro will deliver sequential read/write speeds of up to 540/450 MB/s and random read/write speeds of up to 75,000/69,000 IOPS. Similar to the M3, the M3 Pro uses the latest SATA 6Gb/s (SATA III) interface, a server-grade controller from Marvell, and flash memory from Toshiba.

The M3 Pro also features exclusive firmware with True Speed technology, which includes Plextor's proprietary Bad Block Management, Global Wear Leveling, and Instant Restore Technologies. True Speed prevents drastic drops in read/write speed common to other SSDs and, in fact, maintains the M3 Pro's high performance at like-new levels throughout the life of the drive.

Plextor exceeds industry requirements with Enterprise Benchmark testing. Before leaving the factory, each Plextor SSD is put through a rigorous 20-hour high temperature burn-in test and strenuous simulations of real-world working environments. As a result Plextor SSDs have a 0.59% average annual failure rate, one of the lowest in the industry. Plextor's no-compromise customer policy includes a five-year ironclad warranty and the highest standards of customer support.

"We are excited to announce the M3 Pro at CES this year. It will be Plextor's fastest and most efficient SSD to date, and with the 7mm height, we now offer a solution for ultra-slim notebook users," said Kathy Huynh, Product Marketing Manager.

The M3 Pro includes a disk cloning and backup utility for fuss-free transfer of data from a traditional HDD to an SSD. It also comes with a 3.5" mounting bracket and screws for desktop installation making the new drive ideal for both desktop and laptop installations.

The M3 will continue to be available to businesses, power users, serious gamers, system integrators, and anyone who demands high efficiency and fault tolerant performance. For those seeking even greater performance, the M3 Pro will be available in February 2012.